1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processor for information registration, an information processor for information retrieval, an information processing method for information registration, an information processing method for information retrieval, a program, and a recording medium whereby rationalization is achieved for a common work performed by users who use the information processors in a group.
2. Background Art
When a PC (personal computer) user cannot specifically find what settings to make for application software and a shared printer, a typical solution is to refer to the corresponding manual or reference or online help or to refer to questions and answers on a web page provided by the vendor of the application software. However, it takes manpower and time to locate a desired description and determine a proper setting. Some kinds of application software have default settings. When such default settings are not available or a unique setting is necessary for the group of the user, the user has to make the setting by him/herself.
In the device and method of Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2000-29592, when a plurality of client terminals and an image scanner shared by the terminals are connected to a LAN, the set value of the shared image scanner is registered in a parameter setting file server. When the shared image scanner is used by the terminals, the set value registered beforehand in the parameter setting file server is used to avoid complicated settings of the terminals.
In the device and method of Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2002-182811, each window displayed by application software is provided with an ID. When a user gets stuck in the operations of the window, the ID is used as a search key to search a support DB (database) on a network, so that the latest support information about the window can be read.
In the device and method of Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 9-34844, regarding the settings of environment information shared by PCs connected to one another via a network, a predetermined person in charge sets environment information ahead of other users in a group and stores the information. The users follow the environment information set by the person in charge, so that the users rationally make the settings on their PC.
In the device and method of Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 11-288439, the processing history information of users and a group is accumulated. In response to an input of a predetermined user, the processing history information associated with the user is used along with the processing history information of the user, so that proper processing is performed.
Application software and shared resources used by a user are not always used by the overall group. Some kinds of software and shared resources are only used by some users. For example, graphics software is not necessarily used by all the members of the group and thus the kind of graphic software to use is not determined in the group. Hence, some members in the group may use graphics software from company A and others may use graphics software from company B. Further, even after a new version of word processing software is released, just a few members may have installed the new version. When each version of each kind of application software requires a plurality of settings, even the same setting results in an enormous number of setting operations in the group. When a person in charge performs all the setting operations ahead of others and registers the setting data in a database, the load of the person in charge is increased and it becomes difficult to immediately release the setting data of the setting operations to the group members.
In the device and method of Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2000-29592 and Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 9-34844, since a predetermined person in charge registers a set value specific to the group beforehand, the above problem cannot be solved. Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2002-182811 just discloses an efficient retrieving method associated with a predetermined window. Moreover, Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 11-288439 just discloses that the processing history of a user is caused to remain and past processing history is used when the user makes access again later.
On the other hand, in a group, different users at different PCs may perform a work having the same series of operations, in addition to the setting operation. In this case, when the subsequent user can find the operation contents of the preceding user, efficiency may improve.
Therefore, a clear need exists to provide an information processing system, an information processor for information registration, an information processor for information retrieval, an information processing method for information registration, an information processing method for information retrieval, a program, and a recording medium that are useful as a basis (infrastructure) for swiftly registering the information about a common work in a database when a user completes the common work ahead of others in a group, and for swiftly providing information from the database when the user requests information about a proceeding work.